No "(EFI) [FAT32]" Partition :-(

[rlavalle]

Does anyone know which part of the process gets you the "(EFI) [FAT32]" partition?

I've tried partitioning my MacBook about 5 times now and never see this partition. Just these two:

C: Partition1 (XP) [FAT32] . . 20557 MB ( 20018 MB free)
F: Partition2 [Unknown] . . . .93917 MB ( 93916 MB free)


I've tried reversing the order of the 2 partitions in case there is a dependency there, but the MacBook always stalls at the restart after 1st part of the WinXP install (CD out).

The only piece of the instructions I don't explicitly follow is that I use Carbon Copy Cloner to move my OS X install back to the MacBook rather than running the installer off the DVD. I can't imagine this is it.

What piece might I be missing that creates the (EFI) [FAT32] partition?

Thanks,
Russ

[rlavalle]

OK, I've answered my own question. For some reason, the "(EFI) [FAT32]" partition is only created when you install the OS onto your Mac Partition. It doesn't get set up when you just Clone a current OS install back onto a freshly partitioned machine.

Installing XP again. We'll see if it boots into the 2nd installer stage this time.

Russ

[mcnaugha]

It's the GPT partition scheme that generates the EFI 200MB partition. If you allow Windows to edit the partition scheme you will lose the GPT part. It is tricky to get it back again. I describe what I did below:

http://forum.onmac.net/showpost.php?p=2215&postcount=3

[rlavalle]

In my case, I never let Windows do any partitioning. So the MacBook was always bootable into Mac OS X. It's just that not running the OS X Installer made it such that the EFI partition was never created.

Since then, I ran the OS X installer, used Customize to install the most bare bones system (2.4 GB), saw in the Windows installer that the EFI partition was finally there, installed Windows, got the upside down windows logo, re-installed windows and got a working setup. Finally! Then I used Carbon Copy Cloner to move my old Mac OS X install back onto the MacBook. Perfect!

Russ

[openservice]

So did I:
like rlavalle. I partitioned with the osx gui as described in manual. Then I installed OSX in a minimal system. This generated the 200MB EFI partition. The now second partition is the xp partition an the third is the osx partition. I had to format the unused space (in windows installer) with the C-key an rebooted. Then I was able to install like the manual said.
After the final reboot, everything worked fine, I booted to the external FW HD with my original System I want to have back to the osx partition.

There comes trouble in: With the Disk-Utilitie I deleted the osx partition an started an CCC to bring the real system back. The restart startet this system really slow an any login is not possible. The system says (in the separat booted test for resetting the password) that there are no users. ?

How did you CCC your system to the fresh osx partition?

Thanks